How to Prepare your Entree Tofu

The next step in making sure your guests have an excellent experience with tofu is by ensuring the proper preparation for your dishes. In this blog I am going to share my tips for creating the best tofu entrees. Using the following directions you can prepare tofu for steaks, kabobs, soups, and stir fries.

1.   First choose the extra firm water packed tofu.

2.   Open the package and drain the water.

3.   Cut the brick of tofu in half. The next step depends on what dish you are making. For tofu steaks cut each half in half once more then move on to the next step. For stir fry and soup cut the each half into two more halves making a total of eight even slices then move on to the next step. For kabobs, I recommend Tempeh cut into cubes, otherwise follow the same directions for stir fry.

4.   For this step you will need two flat baking sheets, two clean kitchen towels, and paper towels. At this point the tofu is still very wet. To get the best texture as possible you want to remove as much of the water as possible. So you will first lay one kitchen towel on one of the baking sheets, then line with a few layers of paper towel. Lay the slices of tofu on the paper towel in a single layer, lay the same amount of paper towel on top of the tofu, then the second kitchen towel, and the second baking sheet. At this point you want to apply as much pressure as possible evenly across the tofu. I like to stack all of my plates and bowls on the center of the baking sheet for at least thirty minutes.

5.   After pressing the tofu you are ready to move on to the final preparation. The tofu steaks are now ready for marinade, BBQ on the grill, baking or broiling. For soup or kebobs; cut tofu into cubes and bake on 350 until slightly browned and firm. For stir fry; cut into triangles and fry on each side in a wok or pan with your choice of oil, heated to the highest setting, until golden brown. I like to finish this tofu in the oven on 350 degrees for about 10 minutes (until firm but not crunchy). Tofu is then ready to be added to your stir fry.

This is how I prepare tofu for all of my entree dishes. Following these directions you should never have problems with a slimy gelatinous texture. This tofu will be the centerpiece to your entrees, guaranteed to please your taste buds with every bite.